This invention relates to a microactuator device comprising a multilayer structure including a plurality of piezoelectric elements and a plurality of internal electrodes alternately laminated and to a technique utilizing the microactuator device.
In various active apparatuses known in the art, use has been made of a microactuator device comprising a multilayer structure including a plurality of thin planar piezoelectric elements and a plurality of thin planar internal electrodes alternately laminated.
In the above-mentioned microactuator device, the internal electrodes are alternately exposed on opposite side surfaces of the multilayer structure to be connected to a pair of external electrodes formed on the opposite side surfaces, respectively. Typically, the internal electrodes and the external electrodes are formed by sputtering. After the external electrodes are formed on the multilayer structure, sintering or baking is carried out.
In case where the microactuator device is desired to have a small size, a large-sized structure is preliminarily prepared, baked, and then cut along a plane perpendicular to the external electrodes to obtain the microactuator device having a predetermined size. Taking into account the improvement in masking efficiency upon sputtering and the reduction in working cost also, it is advantageous to cut the large-sized structure into the predetermined size after baking.
Therefore, the microactuator device of the type is often used in a cut or split state. In this event, the microactuator device inevitably has a cut face in a split-faced condition. Herein, the term xe2x80x9csplit-facedxe2x80x9d means that the cut face is left as it is without being treated by a particular manner.
In the microactuator device mentioned above, small cracks or chips may possibly be caused during cutting. In this event, it is inevitable that free particles or potential free particles comprising a piezoelectric material or an electrode material are adhered to and exposed on the cut face in the split-faced condition. Therefore, when the microactuator device is attached to the active apparatus, those particles may be detached and dropped off from the cut face due to vibration or extension/contraction of the active apparatus. The particles detached and dropped off may inhibit a predetermined operation of the active apparatus or damage an article or object used in the active apparatus.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a microactuator device with a countermeasure for particles on a cut face formed by cutting or splitting.
It is another object of this invention to provide a head supporting device capable of preventing release of particles from the microactuator device.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a disk recording apparatus using the above-mentioned microactuator device.
Other objects of the present invention will become clear as the description proceeds.
According to the present invention, there is provided a microactuator device having a cut face formed by cutting, wherein the cut face is subjected to anti-release treatment for preventing release of particles produced by cutting.
According to the present invention, there is provided a head supporting arrangement which comprises a base plate to be fixed, a support spring for supporting a head, and a microactuator device connected to the base plate and the support spring, the microactuator device being coated with a coating film collectively with portions of the base plate and the support spring which are adjacent to the microactuator device.
According to the present invention, there is provided a head supporting arrangement which comprises a base plate to be fixed, a support spring for supporting a head, and a plurality of microactuator devices connected between the base plate and the support spring, the microactuator devices being collectively covered with a coating film.
According to the present invention, there is provided a disk recording apparatus which comprises the head supporting arrangement according to any one of the above-mentioned head supporting arrangements, and a head supported by the support spring of the head supporting arrangement to access to a rotary disk, the microactuator device of the head supporting arrangement carrying out fine adjustment of a positional relationship of the head with respect to the disk.